Does Your Wallet Reflect Your Mouth?

Credit:  Images of Money

At the start of the Olympics there was quite a brouhaha about the fact that the uniforms worn by the American team for the Olympics were not made in America. It appeared everyone was more than eager to jump on this band wagon and, to top it off, throw in an extra dash of China-bashing.

When was the last time you requested an American-made product? Do you check the country of origin before you buy? If an item is made in America are you willing to pay more for it to allow for the living wage and workplace and environmental regulations that produced that item?

I hear an awful lot of chatter lambasting companies that move production offshore but then I see the actual purchasing behavior of the masses voting for the cheaper non-American made product on a regular basis.

I have started trying to buy only clothes made in the USA. That has turned out to be pretty limiting. I have since opened it up to buying only from those countries that provide living wages and safe and healthy work environments; still not an easy task.

In our current economy, I can understand people choosing the cheapest option. But is that choice working against all of us in the long run? Then again, in the evolution of a “world” economy does it really matter where a product is produced?

How do you vote with your money? Do you go for the best bargain? Do you strive to support American industry? Does any of it really matter? You tell me.

Chutes and Ladders – A Primer for Entrepreneurism?

Credit: Rodney Miller, Wood Innovations

I have been a student of Dan Sullivan and his Strategic Coach program for more than seven years now. I always look forward to my quarterly sessions because I always get at least one fabulous “Ah Ha” moment every time my group meets.

At my last class my coach was setting up the days agenda and related the story of playing with Chutes and Ladders with his grandson. He was reflecting on the happiness he got from watching his grandson gain so much joy from playing the game. The teachable moment for him, was the way his grandson reacted to landing on a chute that took him almost all the way back down to the start of the board.

It was a lesson on looking at the event as an opportunity versus failure. When he inquired as to why that act made him so excited, his grandson replied, “Because then I am only four places away from the ladder that will take me almost all the way to the top!”

Wow! Isn’t that a great perspective? Where in our childhood experiences do we lose that viewpoint? As a manufacturer, I see the fear of failure stifle our innovation on a regular basis. Our VP of Engineering, Ali Jabbari has a piece of paper taped up in his office window stating:

Try again
Fail again
Fail better!
Fail faster

The problem is getting the team to truly believe that it is OK to fail, and that it's actually an important part of the innovation process. Solving this challenge takes more than just posting this quote for all to see.

One thing I think all entrepreneurs have in common is that they don’t get discouraged by slipping down that chute. Like my coaches’ grandson they don’t perceive it as failure. They see it as a teachable moment and that they have the opportunity of being only four spaces away from success. They also don’t see failure as a zero sum game. Like in the game of Chutes and Ladders, even if you go down a chute, you are never taken back to the start of the game; even with failure you have still made progress.

What “chute” has actually gotten you closer to your “ladder” of success? I’d love to hear your stories. I truly believe the more we see these chutes as strategic byproducts that end up getting us to our ultimate success, we will reach company growth and innovation much faster.

Tell Me What You Want

I am honored to be serving my state and the manufacturing community with two recent appointments — CMTA Chairman and Workforce Investment Board Member. In an effort to identify the needs of industry, create career pathways that provide businesses with the skilled workforce they need, and to assist in putting unemployed and underemployed Californians back to work, Governor Brown has rebuilt and reinvigorated the state's long-neglected Workforce Investment Board (WIB). I am excited to serve on the WIB.

Those who know me or follow me through social media know how passionate I am about technical education opportunities for California's students and workforce.

The stripping of classes in our K-12 educational system that expose students to potential technical career opportunities is an embarrassment. The focus on our states’ four year colleges disenfranchises so many of our state's youths. I feel it has had a direct correlation on our dropout rate from high school. Our current dropout rate is at 23.7 percent, according to a report released in June 2012 from the California Department of Education. This reality then puts a huge burden on our community colleges that then serve the needs of these many students later trying to educate themselves in order to enter the workforce.

In June, I was elected to serve as chairman of the California Manufacturers and Technology Association (CMTA). I am so proud to be associated with this association. The staff is truly world-class and works tirelessly to defend and support manufacturing in our state. As a small manufacturer I feel that CMTA gives me a platform for my concerns to be heard. Being part of this association allows me to make an impact on the state of manufacturing in California. My desire is to see many more small manufacturers join me at the CMTA. Your membership in the CMTA does make a difference.

Our collective voice matters. The only way for us to affect a change is for us to speak up and be heard by our state politicians. So many of our politicians have never run a company and too many of them still believe that manufacturing is a dirty and unhealthy work environment for workers. They need to be educated that manufacturers provide some of the best jobs to be had in our state, and often, cutting edge environments using industry inspired innovations.

As I settle into these positions, tell me how I can help. What do you want me to champion? What do you want me to share with you through social media? I want to be confident that I am speaking for all of you who work within the manufacturing sector in California.

It’s a Great Time to be a Female Entrepreneur!

BWC President Pamela Kan

As most of you know I am a second generation family member running Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation. My father, Bud Wisecarver, started the business decades ago. I began work here on April 1, 1991. That’s no joke — I thought it would be a temporary job but the business got into my blood and I stayed on. I became the president in May of 2000 and then I became the majority owner at the end of 2009.

Becoming a majority owner set me on my quest of becoming a WBENC certified woman owned business. This was more of an endeavor than I realized. Having more than 60 years of company history made the application process quite daunting. At times I was honestly pretty frustrated. But in the end, the process means you receive a certification that is vetted and respected.

Unfortunately I received certification just after the annual WBENC meeting last year. So I was very excited to be able to attend this year’s conference. It was held just a few weeks ago in Orlando, Florida. Anytime you put thousands of women in the same ballroom it is bound to be a good time — and it was!

Thank goodness for the first-timers orientation programs. I went to them all and I started to really see the potential and opportunities that certification provides. Selling into the supplier diversity channel is a whole other world — language, protocols and paperwork. But it is worth learning, because the opportunities to tap into the supply chain for these major corporations and government entities are extremely exciting.

The business fair was really a great experience. I got really good at pitching my company. My hat off to sales people. That is hard to do all day long! Working this channel as a manufacturer was really rewarding. There just are not a lot of us, and even fewer who are certified. I was very popular with the corporate partners in attendance. I strongly recommend that women in the manufacturing and technology sectors look at the benefits of becoming WBENC certified.

From my point of view, there is nothing but up-side potential just waiting to be tapped.